wergeld Definition
a fine or amount of money paid by a wrongdoer to the family or kin of the person he or she has killed or injured, according to Germanic law codes.
Using wergeld: Examples
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "wergeld" can be used in various situations through the following examples!
Example
In Anglo-Saxon England, wergeld was paid to the family of a murder victim.
Example
The amount of wergeld varied depending on the social status of the victim.
Example
Wergeld was an important part of Germanic law codes.
Example
The concept of wergeld was eventually replaced by the idea of punishment by the state.
wergeld Synonyms and Antonyms
Synonyms for wergeld
- compensation
- reparation
- blood money
Phrases with wergeld
Example
The offender was required to pay wergeld to the victim's family.
Example
The wergeld system was an important aspect of early medieval law.
the amount of compensation paid for a particular offense according to Germanic law codes
Example
The wergeld rate for killing a nobleman was much higher than for killing a commoner.
Origins of wergeld
from Old English 'wer' meaning 'man' and 'geld' meaning 'money'
Summary: wergeld in Brief
'Wergeld' [wur-geld] is a noun that refers to a fine or amount of money paid by a wrongdoer to the family or kin of the person he or she has killed or injured, according to Germanic law codes. It was an important part of early medieval law and varied depending on the social status of the victim. 'Wergeld' is often used in phrases like 'pay wergeld' and 'wergeld system.'
